Diagnostic Techniques for Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Infections
Summary
Neisseria gonorrhoeae remains a major global public health concern due to increasing antimicrobial resistance and a high prevalence of asymptomatic carriage. Accurate and timely diagnosis underpins effective treatment, surveillance and control measures. Traditional culture‐based methods, long regarded as the diagnostic gold standard, enable phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing but are limited by complex specimen requirements and prolonged turnaround. The widespread adoption of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) has markedly improved sensitivity and simplified sample handling, yet reliance on single genetic targets can be undermined by emerging sequence variants. Recent technological advances—including metagenomic sequencing, multiplex molecular assays and novel point‐of‐care platforms—are converging to deliver integrated diagnostics that combine rapid pathogen detection with resistance profiling, thereby enhancing case management and informing antimicrobial stewardship on a global scale.
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Diagnostic Techniques for Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Infections publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in diagnostic techniques for neisseria gonorrhoeae infections across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT): technique that amplifies specific genetic sequences of the pathogen to enable sensitive detection.
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): enzymatic method for exponential amplification of DNA fragments, widely used in diagnostic assays.
Point-of-care test: diagnostic procedure conducted at the time and place of patient care, providing rapid results without specialised laboratory infrastructure.
Metagenomic sequencing: untargeted sequencing of genetic material in clinical specimens to identify pathogens and resistance determinants simultaneously.
References
- The Laboratory Diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology (2005).
- Identification of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates with a recombinant porA gene in Scotland, United Kingdom, 2010 to 2011.. Eurosurveillance (2012).
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